Tortorella was fined $10,000 by the league today for blasting league on-ice officials after some questionable calls hurt his team Monday night. The coach reached a boiling point after his team blew a 3-1 lead and a phantom holding penalty on Brad Richards in overtime led to Atlanta’s game-winning goal.

“The frustrating part for me is these organizations pay the players millions upon millions of dollars,” Tortorella said. “They’re the ones who need to decide outcomes of games….

Steve Violetta, executive vice president of business affairs for the Predators, will leave the organization in early December to take a similar position with the Detroit Red Wings, a Predators spokesman confirmed.

A Detroit native, Violetta is in his third season in Nashville, where he’s helped boost attendance and season-ticket sales even as the Predators have raised ticket prices.

JM got testy today when asked about the reported division in the room, telling us to name our sources. That, of course, is not going to happen. And it can’t happen. But none of this is new. JM hasn’t been a good communicator and I don’t think he thinks he needs to be.

JM is an old-school guy in the thought he feels these guys should be able to motivate themselves from within, that they make enough money they should play with pride and be up for every game. Yet this is the real world. That always isn’t the case.

San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has signed defenseman Matt Carle to a four-year contract extension. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“When you look at the number of players that have committed to this organization over the last few years – guys like Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Jonathan Cheechoo, Evgeni Nabokov, Craig Rivet, Milan Michalek – it’s easy to want to be here,” said Carle. “The front office has proven that they are serious about winning multiple Stanley Cups and that’s something I want to be a part of.”

Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings lead all Western Conference vote-getters in the XM / NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports. Lidstrom’s 80,903 votes top the West, followed by Zetterberg with 58,074. Closing in for the third top spot is Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf with 56,664 votes.

My job here is not made any easier by the fact that Nashville is rubbish. I found myself there last autumn. Dumping my bags in the hotel room, I asked the receptionist “where the stuff was?” You know, bars and that. Pointing me down the street, I was surprised to learn that the ‘downtown’ area consisted of fewer than a dozen drinking sheds, and virtually no shops. Like so many American cities, the suburban spread has rendered the centre of town redundant. On a Friday night in the home of country music, the bar I dined in was filled with the sounds of Keane, if not people.

I would like to report that the city’s hockey experience is better. I’d like to, but I can’t, because it’s not: it’s crap.

I watched Canucks color guy John Garrett last night between periods of the Canucks-Oil game making it like Boogaard threatened everybody on the Canucks and their significant others.

Besides continually trying to put words in Ray Ferraro’s mouth, Garrett said the league should have an IQ test for players and that Boogaard is not the “sharpest tool in the drawer.” I guarantee you Garrett has never had a conversation with Boogaard in his life.

Before all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow run away for the weekend, I wanted to wish you a safe and peaceful Holiday.

Remember, if you have had a few too many “pops”, pass the keys to someone who hasn’t.

Also, you may have noticed the re-introduction of the KK Shopping section. A tab is now located at the top of the page and there are some great deals there. Many more will be added in the coming days so please check it out on a regular basis.

Using the KK affiliates sure does help us out and you are not “paying a premium” by using the available links.

One more thing, KK members now have the ability to add YouTube videos in the KK Forum posts. Directions are located in the forum.

Apparently, the Oilers are rebuilding. Rebuilding with a payroll nudging the $50.3-million salary cap. Rebuilding without any of the first three Oiler draft picks in 2008 that Lowe surrendered to sign Penner, who had produced three goals in 20 games before facing the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night. Rebuilding after stating all summer the objective was to win now, although Edmonton is last in the Western Conference.

“We’re a young hockey team right now,” Lowe said Monday on an Oilers’ radio show. “There’s no question we’re back into a rebuilding situation.

There’s no reason why the Hawks can’t make the playoffs with a tweak here and there, or even be a team that finishes in the top four or five. There’s only one dominant team in the Western Conference—the Detroit Red Wings—and the Hawks have beaten them four times already.

The Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks are strong, but after that the Hawks can be as good as anyone in the West, provided Martin Havlat returns to health, Tallon adds a veteran defenseman and a forward, and goalies Nikolai Khabibulin and Patrick Lalime play better.

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